CAFE2U BLOG

Indeed, the vast majority of homes, offices and high streets up and down the UK are littered with mugs and cups of different shapes and sizes, all brimming over with this delicious steaming hot brew.

But out of the millions of you who contentedly slurp their way through cuppa after cuppa every day, how many of you are aware of some of the facts behind this popular caffeinated beverage?

Coffee has a colourful history, full of fun, interesting and sometimes very weird facts.

The following three are some of our favourites.

One Of The World's Most Expensive Cuppas

One of the most expensive coffees in the world is called Black Ivory Coffee - and it is made from...wait for it... elephant dung!

Black Ivory Coffee (which costs around $1,100 per kilogram) is made by the Black Ivory Coffee Company Ltd in Northern Thailand from Arabica coffee beans consumed by elephants and collected from their poop!

The taste, which is apparently "very smooth without the bitterness of regular coffee", is influenced by elephant's digestive enzymes which break down the coffee's protein.

It retails for the price of $50 a cup - although availability is very limited!

Coffee Shops Outlawed By The King Of England

...well, almost.

In the seventeenth century, King Charles II of England made an attempt to outlaw all of the coffee shops in the land - despite the fact that the earned a considerable revenue from there existence.

He condemned them as places where "the disaffected met, and spread scandalous reports concerning the conduct of his Majesty and his Ministers."

However, there was such a unanimous outcry against this decision - such was the public's love for coffee even back then - that the king was forced to withdraw his proposal.

Coffee Was Originally Eaten

Although in the modern world coffee is associated with being a beverage, it wasn't always so.

Years ago, soon after the energising effects of coffee were discovered by an Ethiopian goat herder (so the story goes), coffee was eaten.

African tribes would mix the coffee berries with fat and create energy balls that they would eat once or twice a day, when they needed a boost of energy.

It was only later years that ground - and subsequently brewed - coffee became the preferred method of consuming.

Over to you

So, there we have it, three fun facts about coffee.

How many of these did you know already?

Are there any notable facts that we have missed off the list?

Get in touch with us here at the Cafe2U Blog - we love hearing from our blog readers and customers!

Like Ant and Dec, bangers and mash or Ben and Jerry, for many of us drinking coffee and the daily 9-5 grind go hand in hand.

Indeed, lots of office workers cannot face an arduous task without their trusty mug and some of us are rarely seen during an 8 hour stint without a cuppa in hand.

However, recent research suggests that drinking coffee at work does not merely act as a crutch to help you get through the day in one piece – it can provide much more than just an injection of focus and energy (and all round deliciousness).

The findings

According to the study, those people who drink coffee at work are, on the whole, more fun and happier in the office – and earn more money than their tea sipping counterparts.

Researchers revealed that the average coffee drinker earns over £28,000 a year and is commonly found working in a ‘middle management’ position.

The report was compiled from data gathered from two thousand consumers in the UK.

Of those people quizzed, 53.30% were tea drinkers while 46.70% were coffee drinkers.

Coffee Vs Tea drinkers

Tea drinkers, on the other hand, earn, on average, two thousand pounds a year less, at £26k.

They were also shown to be much more hot headed and fiercely competitive in the workplace when compared to habitual coffee drinkers.

What’s more, tea drinkers tend only to be the life and soul of the party outside of working hours.

Additionally, someone who is partial to the odd cup of tea at work is more likely to consider themselves a team player - but would also admit to being most likely to flirt with their boss in order to get ahead.

Also, the study revealed that coffee drinkers are less likely to drive to work than tea drinkers, and less likely to be late for work.

Comments

Katrina Webb, for Nescafe Alegria who commissioned the study to tie-in with International Coffee Day, said:

“It’s also amusing to see the difference between tea and coffee drinkers around how much fun they have.

“Coffee drinkers say they’re fun in the office, while tea drinkers consider themselves more fun out of the office environment.”

Over to you

What do you think about these new findings?

Do you think drinking a Cafe2U coffee at work makes you more content and more successful?

Or is this all a load of balderdash and tosh?

Be sure to get in touch with us here at Cafe2U with your comments and opinions!

From the torrid rainforests of South America to the urban jungle of upstate New York, from the wilderness of the Australian outback to the frozen tundras of Antarctica, wherever you go you will inevitably find people enjoying a cup of coffee.

Indeed, statistics show that around one third of the world’s population drink coffee!

To cope with this demand, it is estimated that around seven million tonnes of coffee is produced each year.

But from all of this coffee, do you know which country officially brews the strongest cuppa?

Is it Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer?

Vietnam, Columbia?

Perhaps European countries such as Italy, France and Germany, who are all famed for their love of a good coffee, boast the strongest blends?

Well, if you guessed any of these you are in fact incorrect!

Believe it or not, the country which is home to the strongest brews in the world is in fact Scotland!

Specifically, Glasgow, according to recent findings, is the place to go if you like your coffee as strong as can be.

Indeed, cups of coffee in Glasgow were the strongest out of all the countries tested, with caffeine levels in the city’s espressos ranging from 72mg to 212mg and the caffeine content of cappuccinos bought in Scotland varying from 101-275mg per cup.

Explaining their findings, the researchers who conducted this recent report said that coffee in Scotland usually used more heavily roasted beans and the serving sizes were larger, which accounts for the strength.

Track your caffeine intake!

This research has shown that caffeine levels in places such as Glasgow can vary dramatically from shop to shop.

For example, in Glasgow, in some cases, espressos vary from 50mg to 300mg, which, at the top end, actually breaches the 200mg recommended safe limit for pregnant women.

As such, scientists have warned coffee lovers that simply counting cups is not an accurate guide to how much caffeine they are consuming.

Health experts say up to 300mg a day for an adult is a safe amount, with over-consumption leading to health complications such as restlessness, irritability, stomach upset, a rapid heartbeat and muscle tremors.

Over to you

What do you think of these findings – is Scotland home to the strongest coffee you have ever tasted?

Or have you tasted stronger coffee elsewhere across the globe?

Remember to get in touch with us here at the Cafe2U Blog – we love hearing what our readers and customers have to say!